Lock



April 3, 1928. 31,664,404

H. A. DOUGLAS LOCK 75: File? Jan. 17. 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1;

April 3, 1928. 1,664,404

H. A. DOUGLAS LOCK . Filed Jan. 17. 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Gig m Patented Apr. 3, 1928.

UNITED "STATES PATENTOFFICE.

nanny A. DOUGLAS, or nnonson, MIoH IoA n.

Locx.

Application filed January 17,1927. serial a... 161,598.

My invention relates to locks and has for one of its objects the provision of a bolt or tumbler or tumblers included in the construction thereoi and movable into one adjustment to have locking engagement with a guard and into an alternative adjustment out of such engagement and. operable b a key into one iuljustmentand selil operating into the alternative adjustment, upon the withdrawal of the key, or self holding it strip metal and the springs carried thereby are in the nature of tongues that are desirably integrally formed with the tumblers. There is a key receiving member, in the nature of a tumbler barrel or carrier, upon which the spring is pressed when the tumblers are moved by the key, the tongues thereby being placed under tension. .VVhen the key is removed, these spring tongues yield their tension and, in so doing, place or hold the tumblers in their alternative adj ust ments. The key receiving member is desirably also movable by the key, preferablyrotatively, and the guard is desirably in the form of a shell which receives the key receiving member. This shellhas a slot in its side, if there be but one tumbler or bolt, and slots in opposite sides thereof, it thereis more than one tumbler, the key receiving member adjusting the tumbler or tumblers into and out of register with theslot or slots. i

In accordance with another feature of the invention, the tumbler barrel or key receiving member and the tumblers carried there by lirave interengaging holding portions that cooperate to hold the tumblers inoperative p, when moved beyond their normal range. The holding portions upon the tumblers are desirably the aforesaid springs andtheholding portions upon the tumbler barrel are de with the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a side view of one form oflock with parts broken away and shown in section and a mounting board or plate upon which the lock is secured; Fig. 2 is a front view, on a smaller scale; Fig. 3 is a rear view on a smaller scale; Fig. l is another side =vie\v taken at right angles to the direction at tumbler barrel ma which Fig. 1 is taken; Fig. 5 is a perspective view of thetumbler barrel with parts broken away; Fig. 6 is a sectional view on line 6 6 ofFig. 5; Figsfl' and 8 areside elevations of two adjacent tumblers having symmetricallyrelated spring tongues; Fig. 9 is a sectional view on line 9-9 of Fig. 1, the keyboing omitted in Figs. 1 to 9 inclusive and in Fig. 10 which is a sectional View on line 10-'-l0 of Fig. 9; Fig. his a view similar to Fig. 9 with the key in place and tumblers in positions to which theyareshifted by the key; Fig. 12 is a sectional view on line 12 12 of Fig. 11; Fig. 13 is a sectional view on line 13 -13 of Fig. 12; andFig. 14 is a perspective view of a portion of the mounting and the shell which is to be lixedl sembled with the mounting and in whic 1 the be turned.

The mounting p ate 1 may be the end wall of a casing enclosing a switch which may be controlled by the lock, such as the ignition switch of an automobile or other automotive vehicle. Obviously, however, the lock may beotherwise disposed. The guard 2is carried by the mounting plate 1. In the form of the invention illustrated, this guard is in the form of a metallic sleeve or shell having tumbler receiving slots 3 and l on diametrically opposite sides thereof. Ears 5 are struck from the shell between the ends of the shell and near the front end, tlieseearsbeing bent into the notches 6 that are formed in the collar 7 that ispressed rearwardl sirably of recessed formation which receive the ends 01 the springs when the tumblers are excessively moved asby a thiefwho is from the plate 1. The front end of the she 1 formed with a flange 8 which is spaced apart from the front face of the mounting plate 1, the rear annular shoulder 9 of a colbeyond the bore ofthe shell or looking guard 2, which held in fixed relation with the plate 1 by the structural features described. The" key receiving member, the tumbler ban reel 12, is located within the shell or guard 2 and as this tumbler barrel is desirably roit is made cylindrical to turn within the shell bore that is also cylindrical and of the same diameter where the tumbler barrel is rotatably supported by the shell. The front annular shoulder 11 of the collar 10 engages the annular shoulder 12 on the front end of the tumbler barrel to prevent axial movement of the tumbler barrel in the forward direction. The ears 2 upon the rear end of theishell 2 engage the rear end of the tinnbler barrel to prevent rearward movement of the tumbler barrel. Where the tumbler barrel is adapted to be moved by the key, it is usually employed to transmit motion to some device extraneous to the lock, such a device being, for example, a switch which controls the ignition circuit of an automotive vehicle.

In the drawings I have illustrated a ring 13 having a flattened bore with which the flattcnedinner end 14 of the tumbler barrel has fixed engagement. This ring 13 may be employed in any suitable way. I have 1llustrated a pin 15 thereon which may be employed to transmit motion to some device that is to be operated by the tumbler barrel. Obviously, other means may be employed for enabling the tumbler barrel to transmit motion. The key 16 is shown of flat form with a groove 17 ,in one side thereof. this key be ing receivable within the oblong bore 18 formed in the tumbl r barrel, said groove 17 in the key receiving the ribs 19 formed upon thetumbler barrel and projecting into the bore 18, said ribs serving to guide the key in its movement into the tumbler barrel and placing the wards upon the key in proper position with respect to the tumblers or bolts that are arranged in two sets, 20 and 21. These tumblers are in the form of oblong plates which are receivable in the grooves 22 that extend transversely of the tumbler barrel bore 18. The tumblers are formed with oblong openings 23 extending lengthwise thereof and through which the keyis passed, the openings 23 being variously located lengthwise of the different tumblers to cooperate with the wards upon the key so that when the key is fully inserted, the tum blers will be withdrawn from the slots 3 and land entirely into the bore of the shell 2, Figs. 11 and 12. lVhen the tumblers are thus withdrawn entirely within the bore of the shell 2, the key may be turned to turn the tumbler barrel and the motion transmitting ring 13 fixed upon the tumbler barrel. hen the key'is turned following the withdrawal of the tumblers from the slots 3 and 4, these tumblers are brought into line withunslotted portions of the shell 2 so that the key may not then be withdrawn. In order to withdraw the key, it is necessary to reverse the movement of the key to bring the tumblers into register with the slots 3 and 4. When the key is withdrawn, the ends of the tumblers are receivable in the slots 3 and 4.

The wards upon the key may be so related to the tumblers that some of the tumblers may be positively moved into the slots by the action of the key.

Hithereto, gravity or inertia has been re lied upon to project the tumblers or certain of the tumblers into the slots of the guard or shell receiving the same and to maintain the ends of the tumblers in said slots, the key being absent. tion, I provide springs 24-, 25 which are carried by and moved bodily with the tmnblcrs 20, 21 and which serve to project those tumblers into the slots 3 and 4 that are not projected into the slots by the action of the key and to maintain all of the tumblers however projccted into said slots in their projccted positions. In the preferred en1bodi ment of the invention, the tumblers are formed of strip spring metal and the springs 24, 25 are integrally formed therewith. those springs being in the nature of tongues which project into the bore enlargement 18 of the tumbler barrel when the tumblers project into the slots 3 and 4 in the lock shell or guard 2. The bore enlargement 1b is margined by cam-shaped corners 26 on the body of the tumbler barrel which engage the base; of the tongues when the tumblers arc in locking position and upon which corners the tongues ride when the tumblers are operated by the key to withdraw them from said slots. In this withdrawing movement o l' the tumblers. the tongues ride upon the ttllll' shaped portions 26 and are placed under tension, as illus rated in Fig. 11. the tongues remaining under tension during the presence of the key within the tumbler barrel and yielding their tension when the key is removed so as to project those tumblers into the slots 3 and 4. which are not actually thus projected by the key and holding all tumblers in their projected positions following the withdrawal of the key. The spring tongues 2-1 and 25 upon the two sets of tmnblers 20 and 21 desirably cross when the key is withdrawn and the tumblers are in locking position so as to make it dillicult to pick the lock. The. tumbler barrel is formed with grooves 27 which receive the ends of the tongues in the event that the tumblers are moved beyond the normal range of their key effected movement in an attempt to pick the lock. the tumblers thereupon being held in locking position and the lock being rendered inoperative. It is to be observed that the slots in the key receiving member 12 which receive the tumblers also receive the base or connecting ends of the tongues upon the tumblers, the unattached ends of these tongues being outwardly deflected to have. holding engagement with said kev receiving member to maintain the tumblers in nosition when placed in engagement with the guard.

In accordance with my invcn- Changes may be made without departing from the invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A look including a guard; two tumblers each formed of strip metal and movable into one position into engagement with the guard and into an alternative position out of such engagement and operable by a key into one of its positions; and a key receiving member, each of said tumblers having a spring tongue which engages said member and is pressed thereupon and toward the body of the tumbler when the tumbler is moved into one position by the key and serves to hold the tumbler in its other position upon removal of the key, said springs extending toward each other and crossing when each tumbler is in one of its alternative positions.

2. A lock including a guard; two tumblers each formed of strip metal and. movable into one position into engagement with the guard and into an alternative position out of such engagement and operable by a key into one of its positions; and a key receiving member, each of said tumblers having a spring tongue which engages said member and is pressed thereupon and toward the body of the tumbler when the tumbler is moved into one position by the key and serves to hold the tumbler in its other position upon removal of the key, said spring tongues extending toward each other.

3. A look including a guard; at key operated tumbler formed of strip metal and movable into one position into engagement with the guard and into an alternative position out of such engagement; and a key receiving member carrying said tumbler and formed with a slot in which the tumbler is movable into its alternative positions, said tumbler having a spring tongue whose base is also received in said slot and whose unattached end is outwardly deflected to have holding engagement with said key receiving member.

4. A look including a guard; a ke operated tumbler formed of strip meta and movable into one position into engagement with the guard and into an alternative position out of such engagement; and a key receiving member carrying said tumbler and formed with a slot in which the tumbler is movable into its alternative positions, said tumbler having a spring tongue whose base is also received in said slot and whose unattached end is outwardly deflected to have holding engagement with said key receiving member, said key receiving member being formed with a groove positioned and serving to receive the unattached end of the tongue when the tumbler is moved beyond the normal range of its key efiected movement, the unattached end of the tongue being disposed to be normally clear of said groove.

5. A look including a guard; a key operated tumbler formed of strip metal and movable into one position into engagement with the guard and into an alternative position out of such engagement; and a key receiving member carryin said tumbler and formed with a slot in w ich the tumbler is movable into its alternative positions, said tumbler having a spring tongue whose base is also received in said slot, said key receiving member being formed with a groove positioned and serving to receive the unattached end of the tongue when the tumbler is moved beyond the normal range of its key effected movement, the unattached end of the tongue being disposed to be normally clear of said groove.

6. A look including a guard; a key operated tumbler formed of strip metal and movable into one position into engagement with the guard and into an alternative position out of such engagement; and a key receiv ing member carrying said tumbler and formed with a slot in which the tumbler is movable into its alternative positions, said tumbler having a spring tongue whose unattached end is outwardly deflected to have holding engagement with said key receiving member, said key receiving member being formed with a groove positioned and serving to receive the unattached end of the tongue when the tumbler is moved beyond the normal range of its key effected movement, the unattached end of the tongue being disposed to be normally clear of said groove.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name.

HARRY A. DOUGLAS. 

